ERIC Number: ED598677
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Career Pathways for Boston's Opportunity Youth
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
For too many young people, the transition from high school to college or a career poses significant challenges. In Boston alone, nearly 5,000 16- to 24-year-olds are not in school or employed. This group, known as Opportunity Youth, represents incredible untapped promise and potential. Our latest report takes an in-depth look at what career pathways exist for Opportunity Youth by going straight to the source. We held a series of focus groups with Boston youth to gain insight into the educational experiences and career opportunities available across the city. Because they are disconnected from school and employment, their voices are rarely part of the discussion when it comes to setting policy and practice around education and workforce development. Our goal is to uncover factors that contribute to young people's alienation from school and employment by listening to their individual stories and elevating their voices by quoting their words throughout this report. Understanding the landscape of career options for Opportunity Youth also requires hearing from those with a more systemic view. So we spoke with a range of service providers and experts in the field to understand the complicated terrain of services and supports that these young people must navigate to connect with educational and career pathways. This report is the latest in a series of research through our partnership with the Boston Opportunity Youth Collaborative. This includes 2017's "Opportunity Youth: College Success" [see ED589379], which explores policies to improve college graduation rates for opportunity youth, 2016's "Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline" [see ED598695], which looks at inequities in school discipline and dropout rates, and 2014's "Creating Pathways to Success for Opportunity Youth" [see ED598685], which examines high school equivalency (HSE)-plus programs designed to provide a combination of academic and wrap-around support services. [For the executive summary of this study, see ED598678.]
Descriptors: At Risk Persons, Career Readiness, Career Development, Student Needs, Success, Late Adolescents, Young Adults, At Risk Students, Job Skills, Youth Programs, Employment Qualifications, Career Exploration, Careers, Experiential Learning, Student Experience, High School Students, Postsecondary Education, Higher Education, Employers, Cooperative Planning, Agency Cooperation, School Role, Elementary Secondary Education, Relevance (Education), Role, Financial Support, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Out of School Youth, Youth Employment
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. 114 State Street, Boston, MA 02109. Tel: 617-354-0002; e-mail: info@renniecenter.org; Web site: http://www.renniecenter.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education; Higher Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Hyams Foundation
Authoring Institution: Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts (Boston)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A